<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>withered roses by blinderror</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24010435">withered roses</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blinderror/pseuds/blinderror'>blinderror</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Hurt No Comfort, Identity Reveal, Partner Betrayal, Sad Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Sad Marinette Dupain-Cheng</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:13:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,985</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24010435</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/blinderror/pseuds/blinderror</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>she never realized that the rose might've been a ticking clock counting down their last days together.<br/>then again she never realized how she felt about him till it was too late.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir &amp; Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire &amp; Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug &amp; Nino Lahiffe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>withered roses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She always knew that eventually Chat and her would have to give up their miraculouses and part ways as a superhero duo, but she always thought in the back of her head that they would've revealed themselves by then and have developed a friendship in civilian forms. He never specifically said he expected the same but with the way he was around her it was pretty obvious that he did. So what the heck was happening?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Chat : I'm sorry to do this but, I quit.</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Me : What? Don't be ridiculous Chat. Let's talk about this, meet me by the usual spot in 5.</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>She had gotten there in less than 2 minutes. The anxiety coursing through her veins had amped up her adrenaline and she found herself speeding across the town. She sat by the ledge with her legs dangling as she waited for him. The 5 minutes passed, then 10, then 30, then an hour, but she wasn't giving up. <em>He probably just detransformed, or maybe went to see Fu. if he really is quitting he's probably handing in his miraculous.. </em>She thought. Though the thought filled her with dread over losing her partner without explanation she didn't let it get to her and took off to Master's Fu's. </p><p>"Marinette, what a surprise. Is everything alright?" Master Fu asked as she stepped in. She didn't know how to answer and shrugged taking a seat with him. "Master.. I- has.. has Chat Noir passed by here by any chance?" She asked waveringly. He furrowed his brows at her question shaking his head. A spark of hope ignited in her. <em>There's still hope. </em>He asked her what was going on and she explained the little she knew. He was taken aback by what she said but assured her he'd go speak to him himself. She thanked him and headed off hoping to contact him again but no luck. </p><p>Later that night she found herself playing around with the rose he had given her on the night she found out about his feelings. Whether she hadn't noticed before or the event coincided with what was happening she realized the rose had begun withering. </p><p>----------------</p><p>Almost a full week had passed since Ladybug had heard anything from Chat, no one had seen him either. She couldn't help but be worried that there was something more going on in the background. <em>What if the message was a cry for help? Maybe he's in trouble.. he wouldn't leave like. No. He wouldn't.</em> She constantly tried to convince herself that he didn't want to actually quit, something <em>had</em> to have happened she just had to figure out what.</p><p>"Marinette! Snap out of it! What's going on with you lately?" Alya asked from beside her in a concerned tone. Nino and Adrien had turned around as well to see what was going on with the Bluenette. Marinette shrugged her shoulders brushing it off as being tired but Alya knew it was something more. </p><p>"Sure you are, now what's really going on?" She asked again with more seriousness and less concern. Marinette sighed in defeat. "A friend of mine.. he.. sent me an alarming message the other day. I haven't heard from him since, and.. he isn't picking up to me." She admitted leaving out who '<em>he</em>' was. Alya's journalist self kicked in and pounced on Marinette asking who this 'friend' was but she didn't budge. Nino ultimately having to bring her down before they got in trouble for being loud. Adrien didn't say much to her statement having been lost in his world of wondering who her friend was, but did assure her he'd be there if she needed to vent about it. Any other moment Marinette would've melted at his words but her feelings for him had seemingly been overtaken by her worry over her partner. Nino had suggested she give it a week sensing maybe her friend was going through something and wanted space, and while his words would've been helpful had it been anyone else in this case she wasn't too sure that was what she needed to hear.</p><p>A couple more days passed and an akuma struck the city, while she wasn't too confident on it she hoped that Chat would show up to at least give her a hand. According to Fu he hadn't gone to give him his miraculous but he wasn't exactly able to contact him either. Hearing that worried her more. <em>What if something really did happen to him?</em> The thought wandered around in her head again but was put to rest when he appeared in the middle of the battle. She noticed immediately when he jumped into action but didn't comment on anything till after the akuma had been cleansed. Once it had she approached him ready to question him on his recent actions but barely got the chance. "Chat we need to talk about what you said the other day-" She had started off her body tensing more and more with each word. She wasn't sure when she became so anxious around him she just did. He didn't answer her at first just continued to assist the akuma victim. When he turned to her though the coldness in his eyes made her heart accelerate. "Ch-chat' she stuttered out almost in a whisper. "Go home ladybug" he said sternly. His words taking her aback. <em>He never passes up an opportunity to talk after a battle. </em>She thought. Her earrings started to beep giving her the 4 minute warning but she ignored it choosing to follow him instead. "No. I won't go home till you explain why you said that. Quit what Chat? Obviously not being a superhero since you showed up today. So what is it?" He turned to her once again. His words freezing her in place. "<em>I quit on us."</em></p><p>She wasn't sure what he meant. Did he mean as partners? As friends? She didn't know but whatever he meant it shook her to the core. She didn't know how long she spent frozen in place, or when her transformation gave out, or when her body finally gave out and she collapsed on her knees. Time had stopped when he said and she wasn't sure why. She usually kept herself in check whenever Chat and her had an argument or something came between them but nothing was this bad. He was a completely different person all of a sudden. The Chat she knew would <em>never</em> do this. </p><p>Night had fallen on the city and she was still in the same place Chat had left her hours ago. Tikki had tried to bring her back so she could go home before her parents worried but it was no use. There was a pain in her chest that was left in the aftermath of those 4 words and they kept her hinged to the rooftop. A short while after the moon had risen Tikki got tired of trying to get Marinette up and zipped off to the only place she could think of.</p><p>----------------</p><p>"Plagg!" She whisper-yelled as she phased through the window in Adrien's room. Adrien had been taking a shower and Plagg was laying by the couch rubbing his temple, seemingly stressed.</p><p>"Plagg!" She whisper yelled again finally catching his attention. His expression softened at the sight of her almost instantly. Tikki flew over to him questioning him on why his chosen was acting that way with Ladybug. He was quiet at first, his head downturned.</p><p>"Tikki.. this is bad" he said.</p><p>----------------</p><p>At some point through the night Marinette had called upon her transformation and finally went home. Her body stiff from laying still in one place for so long. Her parents asked her where she had been worryingly and she claimed to have been off in Alya's. Her parents noticing how tired she looked didn't push her more on the topic. The next morning Marinette seemed more disheveled than the night before. Alya quickly taking notice.</p><p>"Girl, what in the world?! You look awful? Are you okay?" She asked when Marinette walked through the classroom door with dark bags under her bloodshot eyes, and her hair out of its usual pigtails unbrushed. Marinette didn't bother to answer instead choosing to put her down and block out the world. Her three friends looked at each other worryingly. Marinette had never looked this off before. When lunch came around Adrien offered to take her and the others to a nearby cafe to get some coffee in hopes of it waking her up but she declined saying she wasn't hungry and didn't budge. After class Alya and Nino suggested they hang out at the park for a while and maybe get some ice cream but she once again declined choosing to go home instead. Later in the evening another akuma attacked and she didn't have a choice but to leave her hole for the sake fo the city but she was noticeably tired. Her movements were slowed and her reaction delayed.</p><p>By the time Chat bothered to show up she had taken a number of hard hits to her body slowing her even more. Their entire balance had been thrown off. With Ladybug struggling to even stand up straight and Chat avoiding communicating with her the akuma was taking longer than it should've and they were both taking unnecessary hits. it wasn't till the akuma landed a hit straight to Ladybug's chest, knocking her down instantly that Chat finally got his act together and swooped in, picking up Ladybug and taking her to a rooftop away from the danger. With the akuma being away from them he took the time to inspect the damage on Ladybug and himself. He didn't hold any serious injuries just a couple of bruises from being hit every now and then but Ladybug was another scenario entirely. There were scratches all over her face and tears in her suit where more scratches were along with bruises that hid under it. The bags in her eyes were horribly dark and her breathing was scarily uneven. He heard her miraculous start beeping before she detransformed right in front of him.  He looked away not wanting to know who the person was that he turned his back on. "Chat we need to get help..<em> please"</em> The red kwami pleaded while holding her nub to her chosen's cheek. He was hesitant on looking but the kwami's pleads won him over and he looked. None other than his classmate and friend Marinette lied there with bruises and scratches all over her body. The guilt in him instantly quadrupled. He didn't just turn his back on the love of his life he turned his back on<em>Marinette. The girl who's always stood by in and out of costume.</em> He shook the thought from his head and picked her up carefully speeding off to her home. </p><p>"What do I do?" He asked placing her on the chaise. Tikki led him over to her desk where she had a first aid kit for whenever she got injured in battle. He treated her wounds and set out to go back to the akuma. "Chat Noir" Tikki called out to him. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to her. "Without Mar- Ladybug- you're going to have to be the one to cleanse the akuma. He didn't say anything just called off his transformation and putting on the earrings Tikki held out to him. He transformed and went out to cleanse the akuma. By the time he was able to get it under control most of the city had been wrecked but luckily he was able to fix it all up. After taking off the earrings and transforming back into Chat Noir he once again made his way to leave home but was stopped by the red kwami once again. "..You should tell her you know? What you're doing right now.. it's- it's hurting her more than the alternative." She said. He didn't respond and took off. The kwami sighed before flying off back to her chosen.</p><p>The next day Marinette missed school. Alya and Nino were both worried as she wasn't picking up the phone whilst Adrien remained silent for the majority of class lost in his own space.</p><p>----------------</p><p>Another week had passed and Marinette's injuries had mostly healed except for a deep gash on her cheek that was slowly scarring over. Her friends had questioned her on it but she brushed it off as a reminder of her clumsiness. Adrien though, knew better but he said nothing. Hawkmoth hadn't slowed down on his akuma rampage and while the majority of the time Marinette found herself fighting alone whenever Chat came around he made his presence worthwhile making sure to protect her as if they were the same duo as always minus the communication. While a small part of her held a grudge against the cat for throwing what they had away like nothing a bigger part of her was certain that something is making him do this. Especially with his constant feel of protecting her after the akuma that knocked her down for the rest of the battle. While Tikki didn't fill her in on what happened after she assured her that no identities had been revealed which eased her a little.</p><p>One evening after an entire afternoon of fighting off an akuma she found herself pondering her situation with Chat Noir again. "I don't get it Tikki. This.. This isn't like him! The Chat I know would never purposely hurt me like this." The kwami felt bad for the girl. She couldn't tell her what was happening, Plagg specifically said not to but she was saddened by her chosen's constant distress. Marinette hadn't been sleeping as well usually crying the night away or tiring herself out as Ladybug and only being able to sleep for an hour before school started. The entire situation was wrong. </p><p>----------------</p><p>"What if.. what if this is hurting me so much because.. i love him as more than a partner..?" Marinette found herself asking in the middle of the night. Tikki stirred awake at the sudden question looking at her chosen solemnly. "I.. I think you always have Mari- you just didn't realize it till he was gone" she answered half-asleep. The realization set another unbearable weight on her chest and she called upon her transformation in a desperate need of relief. Running with the wind behind her brought her a sense of calm as she ran till her problems were nothing but a speck. Eventually tiring herself out and taking a rest on the Agreste Mansion roof unbeknownst to her at first. She realized when she heard a familiar voice yelling below her. </p><p>"Don't you get it Plagg! This is bigger than me and her now! How am I supposed to love someone that kept something that big from me!?" Adrien was yelling. A quick peek through the window and she realized he was referring to Plagg the kwami of destruction not a human coincidently named Plagg. Her head spun as she realized that the only reason he would be yelling at Plagg was because he was Chat Noir. The Chat Noir that gave up on them. The Chat Noir that was also Adrien Agreste, the boy she had been crushing prior to her realization that she loved Chat. Even though she realizes now they're the same person.</p><p>"Who cares if she didn't tell you kid!? You and I both know the wish has some heavy prices to pay! It's not safe! Besides, are you really going to turn your back on the woman you've claimed to love since the moment you met her? Not to mention that she' also one of your best friends and classmates!? Are you really going to work with Hawkmoth!?" Plagg had yelled back at his chosen. Marinette knew that Chat had been in love with Ladybug but hearing it come out of Plagg's mouth made the situation seem all the strange. <em>On top of that Plagg made it seem like Adrien knew who she was behind the mask.. and working for Hawkmoth? The wish? Was.. was he planning to betray her?</em></p><p>"No. Yes? Kind of? I'm not going to work with him in that way.. If I need Ladybug's earrings to bring my mother back i'll get them from her myself. No one needs to get hurt." Adrien replied calmer than before. His kwami unamused shook his head.</p><p>"Kid.. you can't- you can't do this. The power of the two miraculous is too much for one person especially a kid, and are you really okay with it? Betraying Ladybug? Betraying.. Marinette?" Plagg shot back his voice lowering down with each sentence.</p><p>"I.. how can I love the person that's holding me back from seeing my mother again..?" He answered his voice wavering.</p><p>"She doesn't know Adrien. You can't blame her for this! Especially when it was your own father that kept from you that your mother wasn't missing just in a coma in his secret basement" His kwami yelled trying to smack sense into him but Adrien didn't budge.</p><p><br/>"I'm angry at him yes, but.. he just wants us to be a family again.. and Ladybug.. Marinette- is in the way." His voice became cold as he walked away from his shocked kwami. </p><p>Ladybug had heard enough. <em>Adrien is Chat Noir, his father is Hawkmoth he's going to betray me. Oh god. <strong>He's going to betray me.</strong></em></p><p>----------------</p><p>"He's going to betray me Tikki.. he- he doesn't love me anymore.. oh god what do I do" Marinette paced around her room. "Marinette calm down, this can't be right I can talk to Plagg-"</p><p>"No!" She yelled gripping the sides of her hair. Her eyes caught sight of the rose when she realized he loved her.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>The flower had completely withered away. Just like everything between them</em>
  </strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Soo... this one is a bit everywhere- I'll probably make a second part to this in the future explaining things like why Chat protected her even though he's betraying her and what not..  Hope you enjoyed, and sorry not sorry for the heartbreaks.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>